Computer-vision-based object tracking and guidance module

ABSTRACT

An apparatus comprises a mount body by which the apparatus is secured to a structure. A camera assembly includes an image sensor adapted to capture images within its field of view. A lighting assembly houses one or more light sources including a directional light source. A control-board assembly, fixed to the mount body, houses control boards including one or more processors configured to acquire information about an object, to associate a location within the field of view of the image sensor with the object, to point light emitted by the directional light source at the location associated with the object by rotating the lighting assembly and turning the laser assembly, and, based on an image acquired from the camera assembly, to detect change within the field of view of the image sensor corresponding to placement or removal of the object.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/740,679, titled “Computer-Vision-Based Object Tracking and GuidanceModule,” filed on Jan. 13, 2020, which claims priority to and thebenefit of co-pending U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/791,413,titled “Computer Vision Tracking and Guidance Module”, filed on Jan. 11,2019, the entirety of each of which is incorporated by reference hereinfor all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to computer-vision-based object trackingand guidance apparatuses.

BACKGROUND

E-commerce continues to see significant year-over-year growth and isexpected do so for the foreseeable future. Many such online retailersship purchased goods to a customer's front door. With the rise of “porchpirates”, though, namely, people who steal packages off from customers'porches or front door areas, many customers want their online ordersshipped to a store, where the purchased goods await their pickup. Thisprocess has the further advantage of saving money on shipping costs.Retailers are thus leveraging their brick-and-mortar stores to fulfillonline sales, which increases customer foot traffic at their sites, winsmore customers, and results in more volume.

Retailers, however, are not equipped to efficiently handle in-storepickups. Most buy-online-pickup-in store (BOPIS) solutions are expensiveand require additional staff or significant changes in operation. Apoorly designed pickup process can cause delay and frustrate customers.Once a customer has had a bad pickup experience, he or she is unlikelyto try in-store pick-up again. Other self-pickup solutions, such aspackage lockers and package towers are expensive, restrictive, fixed,and take up space, and staffing a pickup counter takes staff away fromthe business of selling or other more productive business operations.

SUMMARY

All examples and features mentioned below can be combined in anytechnically possible way.

In one aspect, the invention is related to an apparatus comprising amount body by which to secure the apparatus to a structure and a cameraassembly fixed to the mount body. The camera assembly includes an imagesensor that captures images within its field of view. The apparatusfurther comprises a lighting assembly rotatably connected to the mountbody. The lighting assembly houses one or more light sources including adirectional light source secured to a laser assembly. A control-boardassembly, fixed to the mount body, houses control boards that are inelectrical communication with the camera assembly to acquire the imagescaptured by the image sensor and with the lighting assembly to controloperation of the one or more light sources. The control boards includeone or more processors configured to acquire information about anobject, to associate a location within the field of view of the imagesensor with the object, to point light emitted by the directional lightsource at the location associated with the object by rotating thelighting assembly and turning the laser assembly, and, based on an imageacquired from the camera assembly, to detect change within the field ofview of the image sensor corresponding to placement or removal of theobject.

In some embodiments, the camera assembly further comprises a depthsensor fixed to a mounting surface and a plurality of support mounts ofdifferent heights attached to a frame of the camera assembly, and theimage sensor is mounted to a board held by the plurality of supportmounts at a non-zero offset angle relative to the mounting surface uponwhich the depth sensor is fixed. The support mounts can have rivetholes, and the camera assembly can further comprise push rivets thatpass through the board into the rivet holes of the support mounts tosecure the image sensor within the camera assembly.

In some embodiments, the mount body has a channel extendingtherethrough. The channel has opposing upper and lower surfaces and aside wall therebetween. The sidewall has two angled surfaces thatdetermine a full range of angles at which the mount body can be mountedto a rail. One of the surfaces of the channel has a retaining bossextending therefrom. The retaining boss is located on the one surface toalign with a groove of the rail. The retaining boss has a size that fitsclosely within the groove of the rail. The apparatus may furthercomprise a bracket with two arms and a mounting surface, and a channelbar attached between ends of the two arms. The channel bar hasdimensions adapted to fit closely within and pass through the channel ofthe mount body. In another embodiment, the bracket has two opposingwalls and a sidewall disposed therebetween, and the mount body includesa pair of flanges, one flange of the pair on each side of the mountbody, each flange having an opening therein. A first wall of the twowalls of the bracket enters the channel of the mount body and hasopenings that align with the openings of the flanges for receivingfasteners therethrough that secure the first wall to the flanges. Asecond wall of the two walls has openings therein for receivingfasteners therethrough that secure the second wall to a surface.

In another aspect, the invention is related to an apparatus comprising amount body, a lighting assembly, attached to the mount body, that housesa directional light source, and a camera assembly, attached to the mountbody, that houses an RGB (read green blue) camera and a depth camerathat capture image information within their fields of view. The cameraassembly has a mounting surface upon which the depth camera is fixed anda plurality of support mounts of different heights attached to a frameof the camera assembly. The RGB camera is mounted to a board supportedby the plurality of support mounts of different heights and held at anon-zero offset angle relative to the mounting surface upon which thedepth camera is fixed. The apparatus further comprises a control-boardassembly that is attached to the mount body. The control-board assemblyis in communication with the camera assembly to receive imageinformation captured by the cameras and with the lighting assembly tocontrol operation of the directional light source. The control-boardassembly houses control boards that include a processor configured toreceive and process images captured by the camera assembly and tooperate the directional light source in response to the processedimages.

The support mounts may have rivet holes, and the camera assembly mayfurther comprise push rivets that pass through the board into the rivetholes of the support mounts to secure the RGB camera within the cameraassembly. The mount body may have a channel extending therethrough. Thechannel has opposing upper and lower surfaces and a side walltherebetween. The sidewall has two angled surfaces that determine a fullrange of angles at which the mount body can be mounted to a rail. One ofthe surfaces of the channel may have a retaining boss extendingtherefrom. The retaining boss is located and sized to align with and fitwithin a groove of the rail.

The apparatus may further comprise a bracket with two arms that meet ata mounting surface, and a channel bar attached between ends of the twoarms. The channel bar has dimensions adapted to fit closely within andpass through the channel of the mount body. In another embodiment, thebracket has two opposing walls and a sidewall disposed therebetween, andthe mount body includes a pair of flanges, one flange of the pair oneach side of the mount body, each flange having an opening therein. Afirst wall of the two walls of the bracket enters the channel of themount body and has openings that align with the openings of the flangesfor receiving fasteners therethrough that secure the first wall to theflanges. A second wall of the two walls has openings therein forreceiving fasteners therethrough that secure the second wall to asurface.

In another aspect, the invention is related to an apparatus comprising amount body by which to secure the apparatus to a rail. The mount bodyhas a channel sized to receive the rail therethrough. The channel has asidewall disposed between opposing walls. The sidewall has multipleangled surfaces that determine a full range of angles at which the railcan be secured to the mount body. The apparatus further comprises acamera assembly housing a camera, a light-guidance assembly, and acontrol-board assembly. The camera assembly is attached to the mountbody such that the camera has a field of view that faces downwards whenthe apparatus is secured to the rail. The light-guidance assembly isrotatably attached to the mount body and houses one or more lightsources. The control-board assembly is attached to the mount body and isin communication with the camera assembly to receive image informationcaptured by the cameras and with the lighting assembly to controloperation of the one or more light sources. The control-board assemblyhouses control boards configured to receive and process images capturedby the camera assembly and to rotate the light-guidance assembly andoperate the one or more light sources in response to the processedimages.

One of the surfaces of the channel may have a retaining boss extendingtherefrom. The retaining boss is located and sized to align with and fitwithin a groove of the rail.

The apparatus may further comprise a bracket with two arms that end at amounting surface, and a channel bar attached between ends of the twoarms. The channel bar has dimensions adapted to fit closely within andpass through the channel of the mount body. In an alternativeembodiment, the bracket has two opposing walls and a sidewall disposedtherebetween, and the mount body includes a pair of flanges, one flangeof the pair on each side of the mount body, each flange having anopening therein. A first wall of the two walls of the bracket enters thechannel of the mount body and has openings that align with the openingsof the flanges for receiving fasteners therethrough that secure thefirst wall to the flanges. A second wall of the two walls has openingstherein for receiving fasteners therethrough that secure the second wallto a surface.

In some embodiments, the camera assembly has a depth sensor fixed to amounting surface and a plurality of support mounts of different heightsattached to a frame of the camera assembly, and wherein the image sensoris mounted to a board supported by the plurality of support mounts andheld at a non-zero offset angle relative to the mounting surface towhich the depth sensor is fixed. The support mounts may have rivetholes, and the camera assembly may further comprise push rivets thatpass through the board into the rivet holes of the support mounts tosecure the image sensor within the camera assembly.

In one embodiment, the one or more light sources includes a directionallight source fixed to a laser assembly, and the apparatus furthercomprises a first motor operably coupled to the lighting assembly to panthe directional light source horizontally and a second motor operablycoupled to the laser assembly to tilt the directional light sourcevertically.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and further advantages of this invention may be betterunderstood by referring to the following description in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, in which like numerals indicate likestructural elements and features in various figures. The drawings arenot necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed uponillustrating the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an isometric right-side view of an embodiment of acomputer-vision-based object tracking and guidance module, including acontrol-board assembly, a camera assembly, a mount body, and a lightingassembly.

FIG. 2 is a detail view of a panel on one side of the control-boardassembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a detail view of a snap hook used to join a dome-shaped coverof the lighting assembly with a laser tilt base.

FIG. 4 is a left side view of the embodiment of the module of FIG. 1secured to a mounting rail.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of the region of the module that secures to themounting rail.

FIG. 6 is bottom view of a section of the mount body having two angledsurfaces that determine the range of possible angles at which the modulecan attach to the mounting rail.

FIG. 7 is a top-down view of the module mounted on the rail at a firstangle (e.g., −25 degrees) for the camera assembly to be directionallypointed towards the module's left.

FIG. 8 is a top-down view of the module mounted on the rail at a secondangle (e.g., 0 degrees) for the camera assembly to be directionallypointed forward of the module.

FIG. 9 is a top-down view of the module mounted on the rail at a thirdangle (e.g., 25 degrees) for the camera assembly to be directionallypointed towards the module's right.

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the module, with the laser slot in thedome-shaped cover continuing along the bottom or crown of the dome.

FIG. 11 is a top-down view of the module with a section line bisectingthe module through the camera assembly, the mount body, lightingassembly, and the control-board assembly.

FIG. 12 is a section view of the module in accordance with the sectionline of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is an exploded view the module including the control-boardassembly, the mount body, the camera assembly, and the lightingassembly.

FIG. 14 is an exploded view of the control-board assembly including aprocessor core board, a POE+ board, a motor control board, and a spacerboard.

FIG. 15 is a front view of the camera assembly, including the RGB cameraand the depth sensor, with a section line passing lengthwise through thehousing of the camera assembly.

FIG. 16 is a section view of the camera assembly in accordance with thesection line of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a detail view of the RGB camera mounted at an offset anglerelative to a mounting surface of the depth camera.

FIG. 18 is an exploded view of the pan mount assembly, including thecircular pan pivot base, an optical sensor board, and the stepper motor.

FIG. 19 is an exploded view of a laser assembly, including a hub forreceiving the shaft of a stepper motor, a laser pivot base, a laserpivot top, and the laser.

FIG. 20 is an exploded view of the laser tilt assembly, including alaser mount upright, a laser tilt base, a hub, an optical sensor board,a stepper motor, and the laser assembly of FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is an isometric view of an embodiment of a bracket by which tomount the module to an overhead rail.

FIG. 22 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a bracket by whichto mount the module in a variety of configurations.

FIG. 23 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a bracket by whichto mount the module to a surface, for example, a shelf.

FIG. 24 is an isometric view of the bracket of FIG. 21 attached to themodule.

FIG. 25 is an isometric view of the bracket of FIG. 22 attached to themodule in a first configuration.

FIG. 26 is an isometric view of the bracket of FIG. 23 attached to themodule.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Computer-vision-based object tracking and guidance apparatuses describedherein can be used to provide a secure, self-service,buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS) solution without the aforementionedshortcomings of package lockers, package towers, and staffed pickupcounters. Embodiments of such apparatuses or modules, as they arereferred to herein, enable users to locate, identify, and pickup items,such as packages, using light and audio cues.

In brief overview, a module can register and track objects within amodule's field of view and, additionally or alternatively, guide usersto specific objects using light, audio, or both. In brief overview, themodule is comprised of a computer-vision system connected to andcontrolling a guidance system. The computer-vision system includes animage sensor, a depth sensor, or both, connected to a data processingunit capable of executing image-processing algorithms. The guidancesystem contains a directional light source and a mechanical and/orelectrical system for the operation and orienting of the directionallight source or audio system.

During operation of the module, the data processing unit acquiresinformation or data about an object. The information may include, forexample, a product description, package dimensions, addressor andaddressee data. A code reader may acquire the information from a labelaffixed to or adjacent the object and transmit that information to themodule. This object may be in the process of being placed within orbeing picked up from the module's field of view, typically on a shelf orother support surface.

In the case of object placement, the guidance system can direct light ator illuminate the location where the object should be placed and/or playaudio that instructs the user to where the object should be placed. Thecomputer-vision system can then detect a presence and location of anobject within the module's field of view based on changes detected inone or more images captured by the camera assembly and determine whetherthe placement of the object occurred as expected. If object placement iscorrect, the data-processing unit registers the object at the placementlocation. The module can further signify correct placement byilluminating a green light (LED), for example, or audibly announcingsuccessful placement. Conversely, the module can further signifyincorrect placement by illuminating a red light (LED), for example, oraudibly announcing detection of an error.

In the case of picking up the object, the data-processing unitdetermines the registered location of the object being picked up basedon the information acquired about the object, and the light-guidancesystem can direct light at or illuminate the object at that location oraudibly direct a user to the location. The computer-vision system canthen detect whether the object has been removed from that location basedon changes detected in the one or more images captured by the cameraassembly. From the captured images, the computer-vision system can alsodetermine whether the wrong package has been removed. As in the instanceof object placement, the module can use light-guidance (e.g., illuminatea red or green light) to signify success or failure.

Example applications of modules described herein can be found in U.S.Pat. No. 10,148,918, issued Dec. 4, 2018, in U.S. application Ser. No.15/861,414, U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US20180197139, published Jul. 12, 2018,titled “Modular Shelving Systems for Package Tracking,” and in U.S.application Ser. No. 15/259,474, U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US 20180068266,published Mar. 8, 2018, titled “System and Method of Object TrackingUsing Weight Confirmation,” the entirety of which U.S. patent and U.S.published patent applications are incorporated by reference herein forall purposes.

FIG. 1 shows an isometric right-side view of an embodiment of acomputer-vision-based object tracking and guidance apparatus (hereafter,module) 100. The module 100 includes a control-board assembly 102connected to a top side of a mount body 104, a camera assembly 106connected to a front side of the mount body 104, and a lighting assembly108 rotatably connected to a bottom side of the mount body 104. For easeof the following description, words such as left-side and right-side,forward and rearward, front and back, top and bottom, up and down, upperand lower, and horizontal and vertical are used arbitrarily based on theappearance of the module in the figures; such terms are not intended tolimit the principles described herein or to require any specificarrangement of the various housing and assemblies on the module or anyspecific positioning of the module when deployed in the field. In oneembodiment, the dimensions of the module 100 are approximately 260mm×150 mm×225 mm.

The control-board assembly 102 has a panel 110 (encircled by circle A)with various electrical connectors 112 for communicating with controlboards housed within the control-board assembly 102. In general, thecontrol boards perform the operations of object registration, imageprocessing, object tracking, and light guidance.

The mount body 104 has in the shown embodiment two joined sections: anupper mount section 114 and a lower mount section 116. The joinedsections of the mount body form a channel 118 that receives a rail (notshown). The channel 118 is defined by opposing upper and lower interiorsurfaces of the upper and lower mount sections 114, 116, respectively,and a side wall disposed therebetween. This side wall has two angledsurfaces (described in FIG. 6) that determine different angles at whichthe module 100 may be mounted to the rail. The upper mount section 114has two mounting flanges 120-1, 120-2 (generally 120) on opposite sidesof the section 114, each flange 120 having a kidney-shaped opening 122through which a fastener 124 extends when attaching the module to therail. The upper mount section 114 also has an arm 126 to which thecamera assembly 106 is fastened. Although described as being twoseparable sections, sections of the mount body 104 may be one section ofunitary, indivisible construction.

The camera assembly 106 has an RGB camera (i.e., image sensor) 128, adepth sensor 130, and side vents 132 that allow heat generated by theinternal optical sensor(s) 128, 130 to leave the assembly. The RGBcamera 128 provides color information, and the depth sensor 130 providesestimated depth for each pixel of a captured image. The slant of theraised arm 126 holds the camera assembly such that the field of view ofthe RGB camera 128 and that of the depth sensor 130 face forward andgenerally downwards. One embodiment of the camera assembly 106 has nodepth sensor 130. References made herein to the field of view of thecamera assembly or to the field of view of the module corresponds to thefield of view of the camera 128 or to the intersection (i.e., overlap)of the fields of view of the camera 128 and depth sensor 130. In oneembodiment, the camera 128 and depth sensor 130 are each capable of dataacquisition at 3 meters, and the module 100 monitors a 4-foot wide by8-foot high by 1.5-foot deep zone, depending on the distance of themodule from its target viewing area and/or on the fields of view of theRGB camera and depth sensor. This zone is monitored for changes in depthand/or color. The control boards of the control-board assembly 102 arein communication with the camera and optional depth sensor (via wiringthat runs from the camera assembly directly to a camera receptacle 202(FIG. 2) to acquire the color and pixel information captured by theseoptical sensors. The RGB camera 128 can be an ELP 5megapixel USB cameramodule, manufactured by Ailipu Technology Co., Ltd of Shenzhen,Guangdong, China, and the depth camera can be an INTEL® REALSENSE™ DepthCamera D435, manufactured by Intel Corp, of Santa Clara, Calif.

The lighting assembly 108 has a translucent dome-shaped cover 134 with afrontally located slot 136. The slot 136 runs vertically along the sideof the cover 134 and extends along the bottom (or crown) of thedome-shaped cover 134. Directed light (e.g., laser), when activated,originates from within the lighting assembly and passes through thisslot 136 in a direction determined by the electronics on the controlboards of the control-board assembly 102. The control boards are incommunication with one or more light sources (not shown) in the lightingassembly (via wiring that runs from the lighting assembly, through themount body, and into an opening in the base of the control-boardassembly), to control each light source in order to provide lightguidance to certain objects or areas within the field of view of thecamera assembly 106, depending upon the object or region of interest. Apan pivot base 138 is fixed to the lower mount section 116.

The lighting assembly 108 further comprises a laser tilt base 139 whichis rotatably coupled to the pan pivot base 138. The dome-shaped cover134 is removably secured to the laser tilt base 139 by three snap hooks140 (only two are visible in FIG. 1). The snap hooks 140 are evenlyspaced (120 degrees apart) around the circumference of the laser tiltbase 139 and the dome-shaped cover 134. One of the latches 140(surrounded by circle B) is directly in line with the laser slot 136.

The dome-shaped cover 134 has three tabs (of which tabs 142-1 and 142-2(generally, 142) are shown). The third tab is located on the far side ofthe dome-shaped cover, directly opposite the laser slot. The two tabs142-1, 142-2 are spaced 135 degrees apart from the far side tab, one oneither side of the third tab. The uneven spacing between the tabsensures there is only one way to attach the cover 134 to the laser tiltbase 139, to ensure correct assembly of the dome-shaped cover. Thedome-shaped cover 134 is effectively keyed by its three indexing tabs142.

When the laser slot 136 faces forward, in line with the camera assembly106, the laser tilt bas 139 is considered to be at center. The rotatablelaser tilt base 139 can rotate a total of 60°; 30° to either side ofcenter. When the laser tilt base 139 rotates, the internally locatedlaser (not shown) and the dome-shaped cover rotates with it, therebychanging the direction in which the laser points and towards which thelaser slot faces.

When deployed for operation, the module 100 is mounted in a fixedposition with its RGB camera 128 and optional depth camera 130 facing atarget area of interest, for example, a supporting surface or anobject-holding area. Examples of the supporting surface include, but arenot limited to, desktops. tables, shelves, and floor space. Theobject-holding area can be in a store, supermarket, warehouse, businessenterprise, inventory, room, closet, hallway, cupboards, lockers, eachwith or without secured access. Examples of identified and trackedobjects include, but are not limited to, packages, parcels, boxes,equipment, tools, food products, bottles, jars, and cans. (People mayalso be identified and tracked.) Each separate optical sensor 128, 130has its own perspective of the area and of the objects placed on thesupporting surface.

Modules 100 may be adjustably mounted, for example, on a sliding rail ina surveillance configuration so that all corners of an enterprise arecovered. Although particularly suited for mounting to an overhead rail,modules can also be secured to other types of structures, for example,walls, posts, shelves, and pillars. In general, these modules are smalland non-intrusive and can track the identifications and paths ofindividuals through the enterprise, for example, as described in U.S.Pat. Pub. No. US-2018-0164103-A1, published Jun. 14, 2018, titled“System and Method of Personalized Navigation inside a BusinessEnterprise,” the entirety of which application is incorporated byreference herein.

FIG. 2 shows a detail view of the region surrounded by the circle A inFIG. 1, which includes the panel 110 on one side of the control-boardassembly 102. The panel 110 has ports for various electricalreceptacles, including a POE+ (power over Ethernet) port 200 forInternet communications, an RGB camera receptacle 202, a motor/opticalsensor receptacle 204, a lighting assembly receptacle 206, and a depthsensor receptacle 208.

By the POE+ port 200, also called an RJ45 receptacle, the module 100 canbe added to a network and remotely communicated with over the Internet.For example, over a network connection, the module may communicate withone or more servers (i.e., server system), which may perform third-partyservices, such as “cloud services” for the module. As used herein, the“cloud” refers to software and services that run on a remote network,such as the Internet. In addition, power is supplied to the module bythe POE+ connection and other operations can be performed, for examplefirmware updates, and remote troubleshooting.

Through the RGB camera receptacle 202, a device (e.g., computer) maycommunicate with and operate the camera 128. The motor/optical sensorreceptacle 204 allows a device to communicate with and control pan andtilt stepper motors and optical sensor boards for pan and tilt motion ofa laser gimbal (see 1310 in FIG. 13). Through the lighting assemblyreceptacle 206, communications can be had directly with the directionallight source and light-emitting diodes housed within the lightingassembly 108, to test their operation.

Above the RJ45 receptacle 200 are the depth sensor receptacle 208, anHDMI (High-definition Multimedia Interface) port 210, a 5 v DC powerinput port 212, and a power button 214. The depth sensor receptacle 208enables communication with the depth sensor 130 of the camera assembly106. By the HDMI port 210, the module 100 can transmit streams of audioand video to another device (e.g., a high-definition television ordisplay). The power button 214 turns power on and off to the processorboard (not shown) within the control-board assembly 102.

FIG. 3 shows a detail view of the region surrounded by circle B inFIG. 1. A pin 300 extends from a receded edge of the laser tilt base139. The pin 300 ends with a tip 301 that is larger than the diameter ofthe pin's needle. Located on the base edge of the dome-shaped cover 134is a pair of opposing, resilient snap hooks 302 with a gap 304therebetween positioned to receive the tip of the pin 300 (when thedome-shaped cover 134 is properly aligned with the laser tilt base 139).The hook-ends of the snap hooks lean toward each other and form aV-shape entry for guiding the tip of the pin into the gap. As the tip ofthe pin 300 enters the gap 304 between snap hooks 302, the tip urges thetwo snap hooks 302 away from each other. When the tip has fully enteredthe gap, the snap hooks 302 snap towards each other, grasping the pin atthe neck just behind the tip. The edge of the laser tilt base 139 meetswith the edge of the dome-shaped cover 134 when the tip of the pin hasfully entered the gap between the snap hooks. A slot 306 to the left ofeach snap hook is used to disconnect the dome-shaped cover 134 byinserting and rotating the flat end of a screwdriver, forcing the snaphooks to disengage and release.

FIG. 4 shows a left side view of the module 100 having a mounting rail400 (cross-section shown) disposed in the channel 118 defined by theupper and lower mount sections 114, 116, respectively, of the mount body104. The upper mount section 114 has two angled surfaces that providehard stops for determining the angle installation range of the mountingrail 400. Only one of the two angled surfaces 402 is visible in FIG. 4;the other angled surface is on the other side of the mount body 104,opposite and symmetric to the visible angled surface 402. A retainingboss 404 extends into the channel 118 from a surface of the upper mountsection 114. The mounting rail 400 has a lengthwise groove 406; theretaining boss 404 is sized to fit closely within the groove 406 whenone end of the rail 400 enters and slides through the channel 118.Disposed above the upper mount section 114, directly above where therail 400 passes through the channel 118, is the control-board assembly102; the placement of the control-board housing 102 provides room forthe wiring that comes up through the module without the wiring having torotate and bend.

Extending from the upper mount section 114 is the arm 126 of the mountbody 104. In this embodiment, the arm 126 holds the camera assembly 106at a fixed downwards facing slant. The downward-facing slantaccommodates the installation of such modules at an elevated positionrelative to the object-holding area, to place as much of theobject-holding area as possible within the fields of view of the cameras128, 130 housed in the camera assembly 106. In another embodiment, thearm 126 is movable to allow for a manual or automated change in themounting angle of the camera assembly.

FIG. 5 shows a detail view of the region surrounded by circle C in FIG.4, the region in which the module 100 is secured to the mounting rail400. In general, the rail 400 is fixed at a location in front of oralongside of the object-holding area and is of sufficient length toensure that installation of the module at any location along the railwill achieve the desired coverage of the object-holding area in thefield of view of the camera assembly. The width of the rail 400 is smallenough to fit within the channel 118 of the mount body 104. Theretaining boss 404 projects into the groove 406 of the mounting rail400. The retaining boss guides and holds the mounting rail 400 to themodule before screws 124 (FIG. 1) pass through the flanges 120 (FIG. 1)of the mount body 104 into T-nuts in the rail and tighten to hold themodule 100 in place.

FIG. 6 shows a bottom view of the upper mount section 114 with the twoangled surfaces 402-1, 402-2 (generally, 402). The angled surfaces 402are offset from each other by 50 degrees. These surfaces 402 determinethe range of possible angles at which the module 100 can attach to themounting rail 400. The retaining boss 404 resides generally central tothat half of the upper mount section 114 that secures to the rail 400.

FIG. 7 shows a top-down view of the module 100 mounted on the rail 400at a first angle (here, −25 degrees) for the camera assembly 106 to bedirectionally pointed towards the module's left. When the module ismounted at the angle shown, the side of the rail 400 rests flush againstthe angled surface 402-2 (FIG. 6). Mounting screws 124 secure the moduleto the rail 400, each screw entering the same groove 406 in the rail asthe retaining boss 404 (FIG. 4). Rectangular receptacles 700-1 and 700-2connect to the pan motor and optical sensor board wiring (described inFIG. 18). A large circular opening 702 in the mount body is for wiringto pass through for the LED board, laser, tilt motor, and optical sensorboard that are part of the lighting assembly 108, as described inconnection with FIG. 12.

FIG. 8 shows a top-down view of the module 100 mounted on the rail 400at a second angle (e.g., 0 degrees) wherein the camera assembly 106 isdirectionally pointed forward of the module. In this position, the rail400 tangentially touches the point of intersection between the twoangled surfaces 402-1, 402-2 (FIG. 6). To secure the mounting rail 400in this position, the mounting screws 124 are centrally located in theflanges' kidney-shaped openings 122. The ends of the screws enter therail groove 406. Fasteners 800, 802 (e.g., screws) secure the arm 126 tothe camera assembly 106.

FIG. 9 shows a top-down view of the module 100 mounted on the rail 400at a third angle (e.g., 25 degrees) at which the camera assembly 106 isdirectionally pointed towards the module's right. Mounting screws 124pass through the flanges 120 and secure the module to the rail 400. Eachscrew enters the same groove 406 in the rail as the retaining boss (notshown).

With the module mounted in this position, the rail 400 rests flushagainst the angled surface 402-1 (FIG. 6). The module can be installedat any angle between those shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 8, its full rangebeing 50 degrees. The different mounting angles allow the module to beplaced anywhere along the mounting rail in front of a shelf and have afield of view that covers the shelf. For example, consider a mountingrail that runs parallel to the full width of shelving in front of it. Amodule facing the shelving and mounted on the far left of the rail (andthus of the shelving) can be angled to face towards the right; a modulemounted at the center of the rail can be angled to face forward; and amodule mounted at the far right of the rail can be angled to face left.

FIG. 10 shows a bottom view of the module 100, with the laser slot 136in the dome-shaped cover 134 continuing along the bottom or crown of thedome-shaped cover. Directional light (e.g., laser light) can exit thedome-shaped cover anywhere along the extent of the laser slot. With thelaser slot extending along the bottom of the dome, the laser light canpoint directly below the dome-shaped cover and, thus, immediately belowand slightly behind (the camera assembly 106 being considered at thefront) the module.

FIG. 11 shows a top-down view of the module 100 with a section line AAbisecting the module 100 through the camera assembly 106, the mount body104, the lighting assembly 108 (scarcely visible in the figure), and thecontrol-board assembly 102.

FIG. 12 shows a section view of the module 100 in accordance with thesection line AA of FIG. 11, to disclose various internal features andcomponents of the control-board assembly 102, the mount body 104, thecamera assembly 106, and the lighting assembly 108.

The control-board assembly 102 houses a complex of control boards1200-1, 1200-2, 1200-3 (generally, 1200), and a spacer board 1200-4 in atower arrangement. Control board 1200-1, atop the tower, is theprocessor core board 1200-1 that provides the computational power to runalgorithms and process images. On the processor core board 1200-1 is aprocessor (not shown) which executes the algorithms and performs imageprocessing. Mounted to the processor core board 1200-1 is a heat sink1202. Disposed below the control board 1200-1 is the control board1200-2, also referred to as the POE+ board. The POE+ board includes theRJ45 receptacle 200 (FIG. 2) and a component 1204 (e.g., a chipset,integrated circuit), which provides internet connectivity and power andconverts the POE+ input to 9 v. Below the POE+ board 1200-2 is thecontrol board 1200-3, which connects the complex of control boards 1200to the stepper motors, optical sensor boards, the RGB camera 128, andthe laser 1206 and LED board 1208 of the lighting assembly 108. Disposedbetween the processor control board 1200-1 and the POE+ board 1200-2 isthe control board 1200-4, also referred to as the spacer board. Thespacer board 1200-4 provides communication among the processor coreboard 1200-1, the POE+ board 1200-2, and the motor control board 1200-3.A component on the spacer board 1200-4 converts power from 9 v to 5 vfor the processor control board 1200-1.

The mount body 104 includes the upper mount section 114, the lower mountsection 116, and the arm 126. The upper mount section 114 includes theretaining boss 404, which projects into the channel 118 between thesections 114, 116. Fasteners 1210 (only one of three shown) secure thecontrol-board assembly 102 to the upper mount section 114, fasteners1212 (only one of three shown) secure the upper mount section 114 to thelower mount section 116, and fasteners 1214 (only one of three shown)secure the lower mount section 116 to the pan pivot base 138. Bosses inthe lower mount section 116 ensure assembly can occur in only onemanner. Two electrical connections 1216 pass through the two sections114, 116, for the pan motor and accompanying optical sensor board. Thelower mount section 116 includes a cavity 1218, within which a steppermotor 1220 is disposed. The shaft 1222 of the stepper motor 1220projects into the laser tilt base 139, by which the stepper motor 1220rotates the laser tilt base 139, and thus the lighting assembly 108. Thelaser tilt base 139 can rotate a total of 60°, 30° to either side ofcenter.

The camera assembly 106 houses the RGB camera 128 and the depth sensor130. Because of the slant at which the arm 126 holds the camera assembly106, the lower mount section 116 has a recessed region 1224 that allowsthe bottom of the camera assembly 106 to extend into it.

The lighting assembly 108 houses a laser tilt assembly 1225, whichincludes a wheel-shaped laser assembly 1226 with the laser 1206 housedtherein. In one embodiment, the laser 1206 is a class IIIR red laser.The light-emitting end of the laser 1206 is at the circumference of thewheel-shaped laser assembly 1226. The laser assembly 1226 rotates aboutan axis 1228 that is perpendicular to the drawn page. Rotating the laserassembly 1226 tilts the laser and, thus, the pointing direction of thelaser; the laser tilts vertically, in accordance with the rotation ofthe laser assembly. In one embodiment, the full range by which laserassembly can tilt the laser is 135 degrees. Below the laser assembly1226 is the LED board 1208 having an array of LEDs. The LED board 1208produces RGB light. Under control of the processor, the LED board canprovide a variety of signals, for example, red is a warning, green issuccess, blinking is an attractive alert.

FIG. 13 shows an exploded view the module 100 including thecontrol-board assembly 102, the mount body 104, the camera assembly 106,and a rotatable laser gimbal 1310, which includes the lighting assembly108 with the laser tilt base 139. The exploded view illustrates theconnectivity among the various assemblies of the module 100. Thecontrol-board assembly 102 includes a cover 1300 that houses a tower ofcontrol boards 1200. Fasteners 1210, three in all, pass through thecover 1300 and the base 1304 of the control-board assembly 102 andattach to the upper mount section 114 of the mount body 104. Threefasteners 1212 secure the upper mount section to the lower mount section116 of the mount body 104; fasteners 800, 802 secure the camera assembly106 to the arm 126 of the mount body 104; and a fastener 1214 (FIG. 12)secures the lower mount section 116 to a pan mount assembly 1306, whichincludes the pan stepper motor 1220. When the module is assembled, theshaft 1222 of the pan stepper motor 1220 couples to the laser tilt base139 disposed within the lighting assembly 108.

FIG. 14 shows an exploded view of one embodiment of the control-boardassembly 102 (cover omitted) including the processor core board 1200-1,the POE board 1200-2, the motor control board 1200-3, and the spacerboard 1200-4. The exploded view illustrates the connectivity among thevarious boards 1200 (collectively) of the control-board assembly 102.The processor core board 1200-1 includes the heat sink 1202, the depthsensor receptacle 208, the HDMI receptacle 210, and the power input 212.The POE board 1200-2 includes the RJ45 receptacle 200, the POE+integrated circuit 1204, and the electronic component 1205 (FIG. 12).The motor control board 1200-3 includes the camera receptacle 202,motor/optical sensor receptacle 204, and lighting assembly receptacle206. The motor control board 1200-3 connects the board stack to thestepper motors, optical sensor boards, RGB camera, laser, and LED board.The tower of control boards 1200 is built on the base 1304, whichincludes a lower portion of the side panel 110. The cover 1300 (FIG. 13)couples to the base 1304. Pin connectors 1400 electrically connect eachpair of neighboring boards 1200 and provide electrical connectivitythroughout the tower.

FIG. 15 shows a front view of the camera assembly 106 with the RGBcamera 128 adjacent to the depth sensor 130 (which includes an IR(infrared) projector and two IR cameras offset from the projector bydifferent distances to enable three-dimensional readings). Somecommercially available depth cameras (i.e., depth sensors) also includean RGB camera. Typically, however, the dimensions of the field of viewof the accompanying RGB camera do not match and may be smaller thanthose of the depth camera, and thus may be less suitable forobject-tracking applications. Accordingly, the separate RGB camera 128is selected to have a field of view with dimensions that closely matchthose of the depth sensor 130. Section line B passes lengthwise throughthe housing of the camera assembly 106.

FIG. 16 shows the section view of the camera assembly 106 in accordancewith the section line BB of FIG. 15. The RGB camera 128 is mounted to aprinted circuit board (PCB) 1600. The RGB camera 128 is mounted at anon-zero-degree offset angle relative to the depth camera 130. Becausethe RGB camera and depth camera, being adjacent each other, have fieldsof view that are spatially offset from each other, the non-zero-degreeoffset angle increases the overlap of their fields of view. The offsetangle makes mounting the camera with screws difficult because thebearing surfaces of the screws do not contact the PCB board 1600uniformly. To overcome this problem, plastic push rivets 1602 are usedto fasten the RGB camera to the housing frame 1604. The plastic pushrivets allow for the misalignment of the hole axis with the mountingsurface.

FIG. 17 shows a detail view of the region surrounded by circle D in FIG.16. In this embodiment shown, the RGB camera 128 is mounted at a3-degree offset angle 1700 relative to a mounting surface 1702 of thedepth camera 130. The offset angle 1700 tilts the RGB camera towards thedepth camera 130. The technique includes two pairs of support mounts1704-1, 1704-2 (generally 1704) of different heights (support mounts1704-2 being the shorter of the two pair). In FIG. 17, each pair ofsupport mounts has one support mount in the foreground obscuring theother in the background. The support mounts 1704 support the board 1600that holds the RGB camera 128 at the non-zero-degree angle. The supportmounts have rivet holes to receive the plastic push rivets. The rivetspass through the board 1600 into the rivet holes of the support mountsto secure the RGB camera to the frame 1604. The plastic push rivets 1602allow for the misalignment of the rivet axis 1709 with the mountingsurface 1702. The angle 1706 between the perpendicular axis 1708 of thepush rivet hole (for mount pair 1704-1) and the board 1600 is 93degrees. The angle between the perpendicular axis 1708 of the rivet holeand the perpendicular axis 1709 through the push rivet 1602 is 3degrees.

FIG. 18 shows an exploded view of one embodiment of the pan mountassembly 1306, including the circular pan pivot base 138, an opticalsensor board 1800, and the stepper motor 1220 (FIG. 12). The explodedview is of the underside of the pan mount assembly 1306. The shaft 1222of the stepper motor passes through a central opening 1802 of the panpivot base 138 from the topside of the pan mount assembly 1306; theoptical sensor board 1800 attaches to the underside, with a four-pinwiring connector of the sensor 1804 extending through a rectangularaperture 1806. The optical sensor 1800 determines when the stepper motorhas rotated the pan pivot base 138 to a specific location. This specificlocation corresponds to when two projections, referred to as bosses 2024on the laser tilt base 139 (FIG. 20) interrupt a light beam sent out bythe emitting diode portions 1810 of the optical sensor 1800. The panpivot base 138 includes a pair of arcuate openings 1808-1, 1808-2(generally 1808) through which wires pass. Wires passing through opening1808-1 are for the laser and LED board; wires passing through 1808-2 arefor the tilt motor and tilt optical sensor board. Each of the arcuateopenings 1808 spans 80 degrees, 40 degrees each side of center, whichgives room for the wires to travel 60 degrees, 30 degrees each side ofcenter.

FIG. 19 shows an exploded view of one embodiment of the laser assembly1226, including a 3-screw hub 1900 (for receiving the shaft of a steppermotor—not shown), a laser pivot base 1902, a laser pivot top 1904, andthe laser 1206 (e.g., FIG. 12). The hub 1900 fits closely into acompartment 1906 on one side of the laser pivot base 1902 and is securedtherein by three fasteners 1908 that enter the hub from the other sideof the laser pivot base 1902. The hub 1900 can be assembled in only oneway because of a notch. Fasteners 1910 join the laser pivot base 1902 tothe laser pivot top 1904. On an interior side, the laser pivot top 1904has a compartment 1912 for holding the laser 1206 in position where thelight-emitting end 1914 of the laser is at an opening 1916 formed by thejoined laser pivot base and top. Wiring to the laser 1206 exits throughthe center hole 1905. A set screw 1918, which passes through a press-fitexpansion thread 1922, secures the laser 1206 within the laser assembly1226.

FIG. 20 shows an exploded view of one embodiment of the laser tiltassembly 1225, including a laser mount upright 2000, the laser tilt base139, a 3-screw hub 2004, an optical sensor board 2006, a stepper motor2008, and the laser assembly 1226 of FIG. 19. The laser tilt base 139has a compartment 2010 sized and shaped to closely receive the hub 2004,into which the shaft 1222 of the stepper motor 1220 (FIG. 18) enters.Three fasteners 2012 enter the hub 2004 from the other side of the lasertilt base 139 to secure the hub 2004 in the compartment 2010. The lasertilt base 139 is adapted to couple to the pan pivot base 138 (FIG. 18).When the shaft 1222 of the stepper motor 1220 (FIG. 18) turns, the lasertilt base 139 rotates with it, thereby panning the direction of thelaser light horizontally. The laser tilt base 139 also has recesses 2011sized, shaped, and appropriately spaced apart to receive the tabs 142(FIG. 1) of the dome-shaped cover 134 (FIG. 1).

From a first side of the laser mount upright 2000, the shaft 2014 of thestepper motor 2008 passes through an opening 2016 in the laser mountupright 2000 and enters the central keyed opening of the hub 1900 (FIG.19) of the laser assembly 1226. A set screw 2018 holds the shaft 2014 inplace within the hub 1900. When the shaft 2014 of the stepper motor 2008turns, the laser assembly 1226 rotates with it, thereby tilting thedirection of the laser light vertically.

On the opposite side of the laser mount upright 2000, fasteners 2020secure the stepper motor 2008 to the laser mount upright 2000. On theopposite side of the laser mount upright 2000, fasteners 2022 secure theoptical sensor board 2006 to the laser mount upright 2000. The opticalsensor 2006 determines when the stepper motor 2008 has rotated the laserassembly 1226 (FIG. 19) to a specific location that corresponds to whentwo projections 1920 (FIG. 19) on the laser assembly 1226 interrupt alight beam sent out by the emitting diode portions 2026 of the opticalsensor board 2006. Bosses 2024 interrupt the pan motion optical sensorboard 2006. Fasteners 2028 secure the laser mount upright 2000 to thelaser tilt base 139. Pin receptacles 2030 provide electricalconnectivity between the motor control board 1200-3 (FIG. 14) and thestepper motor 2008, the LED board 1208 (FIG. 12), and the laser 1206(FIG. 19).

FIG. 21 shows an alternative embodiment by which to mount the module 100to an overhead rail. In this embodiment, a v-shaped bracket 2100 withtwo arms 2102-1, 2102-2 that secure to opposite sides of a channel bar2104. The channel bar 2104 is placed within the channel 118 of themodule (e.g., as shown in FIG. 24). Flange bolts 124 (FIG. 1) secure themodule to the channel bar. At the peak or point of the V is a horizontalmounting surface 2106. The mounting surface 2106 has holes 2110 forreceiving mounting bolts to secure the bracket 2100 to an overhead rail.When connected to the bracket 2100, the overhead rail runs generallyperpendicular to the channel bar 2104. In another embodiment, theoverhead rail runs parallel to the channel bar. In the sides of thebracket 2100 are elliptical openings 2108 that provide space to enablean allen key to reach the screws 124 (FIG. 1) to tighten the module inplace.

FIG. 22 shows another embodiment by which to mount the module 100 to astructure, such as a rail, a post, or a flat surface. In thisembodiment, a rectangular-shaped bracket 2200 has two opposing sides2202-1, 2202-2, a channel bar 2204, and a fastening surface 2206. Thefastening surface 2206 has holes of different shapes and sizes includingholes 2208, small and large arcuate openings 2210, a circular opening2212, and slots 2214. The holes 2208 can be used to receive mountingbolts to secure the bracket to the structure. The large arcuate openingsprovide clearance for the grommet used to protect the POE+ cable comingfrom the rail to which the bracket is mounted. The small arcuateopenings provide space for the fastening bolts to pass through surface2206 and secure the bracket 2200. The circular opening 2212 is used forwhen the bracket 2200 is mounted with the channel bar 2204 perpendicularto the rail (i.e., boom), and the arcuate openings of the same diameterare for when the bracket 2200 is mounted on the rail at an angle. Thesides 2202-1, 2202-2 each has several punch-out holes of two differentsizes: holes 2216-1, 2216-2, and 2216-3 are near an edge of the side2202-1 and are larger in size than holes 2218-1, 2218-2, 2218-3, and2218-4, which form a rectangular constellation.

The rectangular-shaped bracket 2200 can be mounted in at least sixdifferent ways. FIG. 25 shows a first configuration in which to mountthe bracket 2200 under a rail or under a shelf. In this configuration,bolts 2222 fasten the channel bar 2204 at both of its ends to theopposing side surfaces 2202-1, 2202-2. The channel bar 2204 is placedwithin the channel 118 of the module 100 and flange bolts 124 (FIG. 1)secure the module to the channel bar. When connected to the bracket2200, an overhead rail runs generally perpendicular to the channel bar2204.

In a second configuration, the bracket 2200 can be mounted against awall or similar surface by fastening the surface 2206 flush against thesurface using four bolts through slots 2214. In this configuration, thechannel bar 2204 is mounted in holes 2216-3 and 2216-2, or in holes2216-2 and 2216-1, with the groove in the channel bar 2204 parallel toand facing the panel 2220. Before mounting, the inner material of thetwo selected holes is punched out to allow the bolts 2222 to passthrough them and into the channel bar 2204.

In the third and fourth configurations, the bracket 2200 can be mountedwith either the side 2202-1 or side 2202-2 pressed flush against asurface, using holes 2218-1, 2218-2, 2218-3, and 2218-4 to mount to thesurface or to a circular tube measuring 1″ in diameter using U-bolts.

In a fifth configuration, the bracket 2200 can be mounted with thesurface 2206 flush on top of a surface or shelf and fastened using boltsand the slots 2214 In this configuration, the bracket 2200 is upsidedown from at shown in FIG. 22, with the bolts 2222 fastening the channelbar 2204 to the sides 2202-1, 2202-2 as shown in FIG. 22, but with thechannel bar 2204 rotated 180 degrees so that groove in the channel bar sparallel to and facing away from the opposing surface 2206.

In a sixth configuration, the bracket 2200 can be mounted on a verticalrail or on a vertical surface using holes 2208 to fasten the bracket tothe rail or surface. In this configuration the channel rail 2204 ismounted either in holes 2216-3 and 2716-2 or in holes 2216-2 and 2216-1with the groove in the channel bar being parallel to and facing thepanel 2220.

FIG. 23 shows an embodiment of a U-shaped bracket 2300 by which toattach the module 100 to a surface, for example, a shelf. Unlike thebrackets 2100, 2200 of FIG. 21 and FIG. 22, respectively, thisembodiment of bracket 2300 does not have a channel bar for attaching tothe module. The bracket 2300 includes opposing walls 2302-1, 2302-2(generally, 2302) and an orthogonal sidewall 2304 disposed therebetween.The spacing between the walls 2302, which corresponds to the height ofthe sidewall 2304, is wide enough to fit the lighting assemblytherebetween, as shown in FIG. 26. One of the walls 2302-1 couples tothe module 100; the other of the walls 2302-2 couples to a flat surface,such as a shelf. The wall 2302-1 that couples to the module 100 includesa middle opening 2306 and two outer openings 2308-1, 2308-2 (generally,2308), one outer opening 2308 on each side of the middle opening 2306.The middle opening 2306 is to allow for clearance of the boss 404 (FIG.5). The locations of the outer openings 2308 align with the flanges 120(FIG. 1) of the module; the size of the openings 2308 are designed toreceive hardware (i.e., fasteners 124 of FIG. 1) that secure the bracket2300 to the flanges 120. The openings 2308 allow fasteners 124 (FIG. 1)to pass through and tighten to nuts (not shown) to fasten the module 100to the surface 2302-1. The opposite wall 2302-2, which couples to a flatsurface, has two pairs of openings 2310-1, 2310-2 for receiving hardwareor fasteners that couple the bracket 2300 (and the module 100) to thatsurface. The bracket 2300 can attach to the module as shown in FIG. 26,with the wall 2302-1 passing below the flanges 120, part of the way intothe channel 118. While the module 100 faces directly forward in FIG. 26,the kidney-shaped openings in the flanges 120 allow the module to becoupled at an angle facing left or right.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method, and apparatus. Thus, someaspects of the present invention may be embodied entirely in hardware,entirely in software (including, but not limited to, firmware, programcode, resident software, microcode), or in a combination of hardware andsoftware.

Having described above several aspects of at least one embodiment, it isto be appreciated various alterations, modifications, and improvementswill readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations,modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of thisdisclosure and are intended to be within the scope of the invention.Embodiments of the methods and apparatuses discussed herein are notlimited in application to the details of construction and thearrangement of components set forth in the foregoing description orillustrated in the accompanying drawings. The methods and apparatusesare capable of implementation in other embodiments and of beingpracticed or of being carried out in various ways. Examples of specificimplementations are provided herein for illustrative purposes only andare not intended to be limiting. References to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” or “another embodiment” means that a feature, structure orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment described herein. References to oneembodiment within the specification do not necessarily all refer to thesame embodiment. The features illustrated or described in connectionwith one exemplary embodiment may be combined with the features of otherembodiments.

Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use herein of“including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” andvariations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter andequivalents thereof as well as additional items. References to “or” maybe construed as inclusive so that any terms described using “or” mayindicate any of a single, more than one, and all the described terms.Any references to front and back, left and right, top and bottom, upperand lower, and vertical and horizontal are intended for convenience ofdescription, not to limit the present systems and methods or theircomponents to any one positional or spatial orientation. Accordingly,the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only, andthe scope of the invention should be determined from proper constructionof the appended claims, and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-vision system comprising: a cameraassembly including an image sensor that captures images within its fieldof view; a lighting assembly housing one or more light sources; and acontroller in electrical communication with the camera assembly toacquire the images captured by the image sensor and with the lightingassembly to control operation of the one or more light sources, thecontroller configured to acquire information about an object, toassociate a location within the field of view of the image sensor withthe object, to point light emitted by the one or more light sources atthe location associated with the object by articulating at least one ofthe lighting assembly and the one or more light sources, and, based onan image acquired from the camera assembly, to detect change within thefield of view of the image sensor corresponding to placement or removalof the object.
 2. The computer-vision system of claim 1, furthercomprising a guidance system that includes a directional light source ofthe one or more light sources and an electrical and/or mechanical systemfor operating at least one of the directional light source or an audiosystem of the computer-vision system.
 3. The computer-vision system ofclaim 2, wherein the guidance system directs light from the directionallight source or generates audio from the audio system to instruct a userwhere the object should be placed.
 4. The computer-vision system ofclaim 2, wherein the guidance system directs light from the directionallight source or generates audio from the audio system to instruct a userwhere the object is located for removal from the location.
 5. Thecomputer-vision system of claim 1, wherein the camera assembly furthercomprises a depth sensor fixed to a mounting surface and a plurality ofsupport mounts of different heights attached to a frame of the cameraassembly, and wherein the image sensor is mounted to a board held by theplurality of support mounts at a non-zero offset angle relative to themounting surface upon which the depth sensor is fixed.
 6. Thecomputer-vision system of claim 1, further comprising: a bracket withtwo arms and a mounting surface; and a channel bar attached between endsof the two arms, the channel bar having dimensions adapted to fitclosely within.
 7. A computer-vision system comprising: a lightingassembly housing at least one light source; a camera assembly cameraassembly housing an RGB (red green blue) camera and a depth camera thatcapture image information within their fields of view, the cameraassembly having a mounting surface upon which the depth camera is fixed,a plurality of support mounts of different heights attached to a frameof the camera assembly; and a controller in communication with thecamera assembly to receive image information captured by the cameras andwith the lighting assembly to control operation of the at least onelight source, the controller housing control boards including aprocessor configured to receive and process images captured by thecamera assembly and to operate the at least one light source in responseto the processed images.
 8. An apparatus comprising: a mount body bywhich to secure the apparatus to a rail, the mount body having a channelsized to receive the rail therethrough, the channel having a sidewalldisposed between opposing walls, the sidewall having multiple angledsurfaces that determine a full range of angles at which the rail can besecured to the mount body; a camera assembly attached to the mount bodysuch that the camera has a field of view that faces downwards when theapparatus is secured to the rail; and a light-guidance assembly movablyattached to the mount body, the light-guidance assembly housing one ormore light sources, wherein the camera assembly is in electroniccommunication with a controller to provide to the controller imageinformation captured by the camera and with the lighting assembly tocontrol operation of the one or more light sources in response to theprocessed image information.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein one ofthe surfaces of the channel has a retaining boss extending therefrom,the retaining boss being located and sized to align with and fit withina groove of the rail.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:a bracket with two arms that end at a mounting surface; and a channelbar attached between ends of the two arms, the channel bar havingdimensions adapted to fit closely within and pass through the channel ofthe mount body.
 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the cameraassembly has a depth sensor fixed to a mounting surface and a pluralityof support mounts of different heights attached to a frame of the cameraassembly, and wherein the image sensor is mounted to a board supportedby the plurality of support mounts and held at a non-zero offset anglerelative to the mounting surface to which the depth sensor is fixed. 12.The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the support mounts have rivet holes,and the camera assembly further comprises push rivets that pass throughthe board into the rivet holes of the support mounts to secure the imagesensor within the camera assembly.
 13. The apparatus of claim 9, whereinthe mount body includes a pair of flanges, one flange of the pair oneach opposite side of the mount body, each flange having an openingtherein, and further comprising a bracket coupled to the mount body, thebracket having two opposing walls and a sidewall disposed therebetween,a first wall of the two walls entering the channel of the mount body andhaving openings that align with the openings of the flanges forreceiving fasteners therethrough that secure the first wall to theflanges, a second wall of the two walls having openings therein forreceiving fasteners therethrough that secure the second wall to asurface.
 14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more lightsources includes a directional light source fixed to a laser assembly,and further comprising a first motor operably coupled to the lightingassembly to pan the directional light source horizontally and a secondmotor operably coupled to the laser assembly to tilt the directionallight source vertically.